Pokemon Derby
by animechic21
Summary: Ash and Dawn meet up to enter a Pokemon Race, meeting old friend Tracey and a sinister threat.
1. Chapter 1

Ash and Pikachu wandered along the sunny road to Solaceon Town. Dawn was following close behind, chatting to her Piplup and getting it ready for the competition they were about to enter.

"Ash!" Dawn called. Ash turned around and faced his friend.

"What?" he asked. Pikachu, balenced on his shoulder, made a little mewing sound and jumped to the floor.

"Are you ready for this competition?" Dawn said, grinning all over her face. "I mean, it's not battling; is it?"

"No, but I'm ready!" Ash cried, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Alright, then, let's go!" Dawn cried. She scooped up Piplup and raced along ahead of Ash, to the small cowboy-type town they were almost reaching. The town was busier than ever - streamers and balloons all over the place. Dawn looked around, mesmerised, as Ash came thundering along beside her, Pikachu balancing on his hat.

"Let's go get registered!" Ash cried out as he slid on an empty packet of some kind of sweet and went flying. He stumbled to his feet and laughed sheepishly. He turned to look at Dawn - she was doubled up, laughing her head off.

"Alright, then," Dawn said, "Let's go register!" They found the registering office, and put their names down.

"So, Pokemon Derby..." Ash said. "What do we do, exactly?"

"Well," Dawn began. Her father had taught her all about the Pokemon Derby, and she was keen to impart some of the knowlage onto Ash. "One of your Pokemon sits in the little cart with you, and the other one pulls it. You go along a track in a cave, or a forest, and the fastest time wins. The Pokemon inside the cart balances it."

"I see," Ash said. "It's all about teamwork! Just like a battle."

The competiton started and they raced to enter it. Ash scurried along to Cart Number 3, clutching his Swellow's Pokeball and Pikachu under one arm.  
Dawn made it to Cart Number 9 and released her newly-caught, especially for the Derby, Scyther, and Piplup.

"Come on, guys!" Dawn cried, as Scyther was harnessed up to the cart and Piplup wedged in beside her. The same was happening to Ash - he was going pink with excitement.

**BANG!**

The starting pistol fired and the Pokemon pulling the carts began to run along their track. In Cart Number 9, Dawn was getting Piplup to fire Bubblebeam over the back of the cart to make it easier for Scyther to pull. Ash was getting Swellow to fly, close to the ground. He overtook Dawn and three other carts, until another boy with a backwards baseball hat overtook him, using a Tauros and a Espeon.

"See you later, suckers!" the boy said, laughing as they disappeared into a dark tunnel.

Dawn was speeding along just behind Ash now, she could almost reach out and snatch Pikachu from the cart. Scyther was tirelessly racing along, and Piplup's Bubblebeam seemed to be helping.

"Come on, Ash, admit it!" Dawn shouted, "You'll never win!"

Ash laughed at her. "Come on, Pikachu," he said, meanly. "Shock them a little bit, just enough to get 'em off our trail.

"Pika...chuuuu!" Pikachu cried, letting out a massive wave of thunder.

"No fair!" Dawn shrieked, hastily spraying Potion on both her Pokemon. She had a sudden idea; Ash was flying, and her Scyther had wings too!

"Ah, man!" Ash cried, as Dawn and a now flying Scyther overtook them. She even beat the boy with the Tauros. Piplup was waving out the back of the cart, and sticking its little tounge out at everyone behind them.

Dawn was advancing upon the finishing line quickly, and as she crossed it, she saw a boy she almost recognised. She was sure she'd heard Ash talk about him. Tracey, his name was, and he had a Venonat and a Marill. Sure enough, the boy sketching the scene before him had those Pokemon.

"Yeah!" Dawn shouted as she crossed the finishing line. "I beat you, Ash!"

Ash came trailing along in third place, looking gloomy. The Tauros boy had beaten him, but he still got a ribbon. Dawn was presented with a massive gold trophy. It turned out that every time she entered, she won!

"Ash!" Ash turned round.

"Tracey!" he cried. He gave Tracey a hug. "Come and meet my friend, Dawn."

"Hey, Dawn," Tracey said. "Well done, you were excellent."

Dawn was staring behind Tracey.  
"Look out," she said, "I spy trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

Tracey looked over Dawn's shoulder.  
"Woah."

A Weavile was standing alongside a tall girl with long red/purple hair. A man with blue/purple hair stood beside her, holding a rose. At their feet stood a Meowth with a bonnet on its blocky head.

"Let's get out of here before they snatch Pikachu," Ash said, quietly. Team Rocket suddenly began their motto and ripped off their disguises to reveal.... the usual white outfit. James' had a spaghetti stain on it, rather ruining the scary image. Meowth bobbed up at the end of the motto - "Meowth - that's me!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Ash said. "We know all that. Come on, guys, let's go."

"Yeah," Tracey and Dawn said. Dawn returned her Scyther and Piplup. Tracey did the same with his Venonat and Marill.

They walked out of the town, being followed at a run by Team Rocket.  
"You don't get it!" Jessie was crying.

"We do," Dawn said exasperatedly. "You're gonna try to steal our Pokemon, we're gonna beat you and you're gonna fly off into space and go 'ding!' like you always do. It's always the same. Actually, I'm surprised you're not in a full body cast."

"Nope!" Meowth cried.

"Well, what then?" Tracey stopped.

"The Weavile you saw isn't ours! It's EVIL!" James shrieked. He waved his rose around in the air to demonstrate.

"Evil?" Dawn questioned.

"Yes!" Team Rocket had reached them now, and they were standing around the three friends in a semi circle.

"Tell us," Dawns said. James smiled at her - he'd always thought she was the least twerpish of them all.

"Okay," Jessie said. "It's been following us for weeks. It steals the things we steal!"

"It steals other Pokemon?" Tracey said.

"Yeah!" Meowth cried.

"It's awful," James said, over dramatically.

"Well... what are you gonna do about it?" Ash said, blunt as usual.

"We don't know. We were going to ask you to help us... But then...." Jessie stammered. Meowth and James shuddered.

"What happened?" Tracey said, busily sketching Meowth, who was posing elaborately.

"The owner of the Weavile came along. He was so frightening," James said, eyes growing misty. "He said that we had to join up with him and his partner, the Weavile."

"The Weavile can talk!" Meowth said.

"It's like Meowth, only its accent is so much nicer," Jessie said.

"Alright, then, who is the owner?"

"A boy called... Skye, I think," James said. "He's good looking; you'd like him," he added, winking at Dawn.

"I know him!" Tracey said. "He came to visit Professor Oak. He tried to steal one of his experiments. We caught him, though. He promised not to do it again. He took a Sneasel from the lab. It must be the Weavile."

"So..." Ash mused, trying to hide the fact that he was completely oblivious to what was going on. "He's trying to start a new Team Rocket?"

"Maybe," James said. "Come on, we'll take you to him."

The three friends walked after Team Rocket back along the road to Solaceon Town. "Right," Jessie said. "We'll take you to his lab first and if he's not there we'll take you to where his Weavile always met us."

"You met up with his Weavile?" Ash said.

"Yes, they did," came a voice behind Tracey.

The Weavile stood there, Pikachu helpless in its claws.


End file.
